Sodium and your diet.

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drew87d
drew87d Posts: 21 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm currently trying to consume around 1200mg of sodium a day. I have mild hypertension, 140/90 resting, and need to reduce this because of an aortic aneurysm. I feel that I have a sensitivity to sodium because if I have much more than my target amount or eat a food that is high in sodium I get really puffy and retain a lot of water. However, it is extremely hard to not go over 1200mg of sodium/day.
Anybody else trying to limit their sodium intake? What is your target amount? Does it work for you? Reasons for reduced sodium? Let me know:)

28m 6'2" 290lbs want to lose 70.

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  • MelaniaTrump
    MelaniaTrump Posts: 2,694 Member
    edited January 2016
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    I think the american heart association suggest keeping under 1,500. So give yourself a little break.
    You have to avoid processed foods and make everything yourself. And.. drink plenty of water daily.
  • Annie_01
    Annie_01 Posts: 3,096 Member
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    I try to keep mine between 1200 - 1500 because of HBP. It is difficult. I cook most of my foods from scratch and that helps but quite honestly...cooking with no or little sodium doesn't always taste real good.

    I have found that cooking spicy hot foods are more tolerable. I also use a salt replacement that is call Salt For Life that has a fraction of the sodium. It helps but it is definitely not the same.

    Trying to eat this low of sodium means no fast foods...no convenience foods...and cuisines even when cooked at home that are high in sodium such as such as Asian, Indian, Mexican...etc...etc.

    I too experience the water retention severely if I have too much sodium. I do best at around 800 - 1000 but I found that I wasn't eating enough calories. I would run out of sodium before I met my calorie goals so I had to up the sodium level.

    Make sure also that you meet your potassium levels (unless there is a medical reason not to) it helps to balance out the sodium. I also agree...drink enough water to keep the sodium washed out of your system but not so much as to throw off your electrolytes.

    I am also on a BP med that helps but even with that my ankles swell quite often and the water weight plays havoc on the scales.

    Here is one site that might give you some ideas...

    http://www.sodiumgirl.com/
  • MamaMc3
    MamaMc3 Posts: 213 Member
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    I am not currently on a sodium restriction, but I have been in the past because of heart issues. I found that no salt seasonings were my best friends. Mrs. Dash is good, but I found a greater/tastier selection at a local spice store. You won't be able to do hardly any processed foods on 1,200 mg/day. My goal was 1,500, and I struggled. If you are having issues with water retention at a reasonable sodium level, you may want to ask your doc about a diuretic.
  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,031 Member
    edited January 2016
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    JanetYellen wrote: »
    I think the American heart association suggest keeping under 1,500. So give yourself a little break.
    You have to avoid processed foods and make everything yourself. And.. drink plenty of water daily.

    I don't have any restrictions but keep mine under the suggested 1500mg daily. I find it not hard to do unless I would begin to eat a lot of processed foods (fast foods, chips, things in pkgs., that aren't actual foods :# ). But it definitely takes planning and eating foods from home that you put together yourself and know what is in them.
  • t1954
    t1954 Posts: 81 Member
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    Take a look at www.mrspice.com. They have several sauces that contain no sodium and decent caloric content. My favorites are honey barbecue, steak and garlic, and honey mustard.
  • markrgeary1
    markrgeary1 Posts: 853 Member
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    I've been eating lower sodium since '92 because of BP. Since October I've been off all meds including BP!

    Like others, no chips, canned soups, or many restaurant's food. I don't care for salt substitutes so we use a lot of other spices.
  • Yi5hedr3
    Yi5hedr3 Posts: 2,696 Member
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    Concentrate instead on increasing Potassium. This will keep the sodium down.
  • drew87d
    drew87d Posts: 21 Member
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    Thanks everyone. I appreciate your advice :)

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